Braces often cause mild to severe discomfort in most patients for the majority of patients the symptoms subside over a few days or a week. Please follow these simple guidelines for a more comfortable experience.
General Soreness
- General Soreness can be relieved by rinsing the mouth with warm water & salt mouthwash
- Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse vigorously
- Paracetamol (Crocin, Calpol), mild anti-inflammatory (Combiflam, Duoflam) can be taken to alleviate any pain
- Soreness should end by the third or fourth day
Loosening of Teeth
- Teeth may feel loose during treatment. This is expected and normal
- One has to understand that teeth will loosen a bit first, to be a move to a new position
- Teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new positions
Eating
- Be careful when eating, not to break your orthodontic appliances
- For the first few days, soft foods are more appropriate & rinse after every meal.
- Brush 3 times a day – circular & vertical motion.
- Food should be cut into small pieces, and chewing should be done with the back teeth
- NEVER bite into anything with your front
- teeth – your braces will break off
- Such as apples, pears, guava, raw carrots, sugarcane, cucumber, chips, chewing gums, corn, popcorn, chicken wings, and any fibrous meat on the bone.
- Hard foods are off-limits or must be cut up in small pieces and chewed with your back teeth
- Such as hard cookies, pizza crust, hard bread, hard pretzels, bagels, hard candies, frozen snacks, ice cubes, coconut, chaklis nuts, and raw vegetables
- Chewy, sticky candies are OFF LIMITS. There are absolutely no exceptions
- Chewy sticky things may not immediately cause damage but, they will do damage over time.
- Keep things that aren’t food out of your mouth
- Do not chew on pens, pen caps, pencils, straws, or fingernails
- We put bends in the wire to move your teeth in a certain direction. If you put a bend in your wire by chewing something you should not have, you will shift your teeth in the wrong direction lengthening treatment time and causing problems
- Mild ulcerations due to sharp wires might appear. Apply Dologel or Dentogel or just plain glycerine as and when required.
